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Bay State pols play key role in D.C., P.R. statehood drives
The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are going to battle on Capitol Hill to become the 51st and 52nd states in the Union, with backing from several prominent Massachusetts lawmakers.
“We cannot allow electoral justice for the people of Washington, D.C., to be denied any longer,” U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley said to the House floor Monday, during a hearing on bill H.R. 51, which would grant the district statehood.
Democrats introduced the D.C. statehood bill in the House in January, co-sponsored by all nine in the Massachusetts’ delegation. Later that month, a similar bill introduced in the Senate was co-sponsored by both Bay State senators.
D.C. was established as a federal district in the late 18th century without Congressional representation.
Bills on D.C. statehood have been introduced into Congress unsuccessfully every year since 1993, but the 2021 versions have earned an unprecedented number of cosponsors.
Pressley cited D.C.’s demographics as the most pressing issue for representation, as its population is about 46% black.
“D.C. statehood is a racial justice issue and racism kills,” Pressley told Congress.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., declared her support for the bill on social media.
“Washington, DC has more residents than Wyoming or Vermont, but they don’t have equal representation in Congress,” Warren tweeted during Monday’s hearing.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., called the bill “plan B of Nancy Pelosi’s political power grab,” asserting that Democrats want two more seats from the overwhelmingly liberal-leaning district.
House Democrats also introduced the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act of 2021, which empowers the territory to reexamine its status and association with the United States by establishing a delegation of Puerto Rican voters.
That delegation would consider statehood, as well as, “independence, a free association or any option other than the current territorial arrangement,” according to the bill’s authors.
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Sen. Warren co-sponsored the legislation.
“Puerto Rico’s path forward should be set by the people of Puerto Rico,” he said in a statement. “Its past has been marred by devastating natural disasters, economic crises, and inadequate support from the federal government. But its governance and political future should be one of selfdetermination, fueled by the voices, needs, and perspectives of its residents.”
Bay State U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley, James McGovern and Richard Neal all cosponsored the bill in the House.
The last territory annexed into statehood was Hawaii, in 1959. It had previously been recognized as a U.S. territory for more than 50 years.